I haven’t written anything in a while and I had to get this idea out of my head. Don’t forget there is still time to enter the writing contest that I’m holding. I wanted to do something different. Visit May 10ths post and give it the 150-word try.

Journal Entry Day 1

I thought this would be as good as time as any to start my journal considering where everything headed today. Went to work as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary happened until we lost phones and internet. Bosses sent workers home as we needed communication capabilities to complete orders. I got home and as I hoped wasn’t true I also didn’t have internet or cable. Not even the local tier channels that run off an antenna. I was, however, able to get a radio signal. Local broadcasts seemed chaotic and it took an AM channel to understand that the entire town was in communication darkness. It wasn’t until after I had prepared dinner that the power went out. Luckily, being the daughter of a southerner I was prepared with candles and oil lamps with plenty of charcoal for the grill. I quickly bagged up the food in my freezer and set them to bathe in the cool lake water. I don’t know how long the dark will last but at least I can fish.

Journal Entry Day 8

I haven’t been to work in a week. Since the loss of communication and electricity life has been rather simple. Luckily, the neighbors and I have been able to hunt, fish, use the lake water for bathing, and cooking. I ran out of charcoal yesterday but there are plenty of dead trees around for us to use for cooking. We have a small community forming on my neighbor’s and mine’s property but everyone is bringing something to the group or working to help keep things clean and in order. That’s what we ask for living with us on our land. No news on the radio about when we will get power or communication back.

Journal Entry Day 17

Our group is getting smaller or so it seems. I swear there is something in the darkness but it could be my boredom setting in. Pens are at no shortage of supply here in town. The local store was able to pull out their old registers and continue selling items. The produce and meat were the first to sell out during a huge sale. I was able to get meats for dehydrating and I dried some vegetables. I hid the items in my house under the floorboards. My neighbor, Minnie, and I have noticed that there are some items going missing. When I find out who it is I’m going to force them off the property.

Journal Entry Day 36

It’s been awhile since my last entry. There is something in the darkness! Our group is down to just Minnie, another couple, and myself. I don’t know where everyone went. I wonder if they were taken by the darkness. Only now, there is no day. It should be 3pm but it looks more like 3am. We haven’t seen the sun in 2 weeks. I went to wake up one morning only to discover there wasn’t a sun. The AM station that we listen to now only broadcasts at midnight. The town learned that between the hours of 11pm and 4am the radio can broadcast and the town’s people can go outside and do chores, swap goods, and hunt. 5 hours doesn’t seem like enough time to complete everything but when we work as a team we are able to get everything done plus an hour extra time.

Journal Entry 56

It’s just me and Minnie here at our lakeside houses. We have decided that we will stay in my house as it has a fireplace but we will cook at her place. The bears are scarce but the raccoons seem to multiply. The theory is that since they can see in the dark they are able to survive whatever is bloodthirsty in the dark. We cook over there because their food source seems to be running low and will scavenge anywhere. After many break-ins, knocked over trash can messes, and the trash pandas running a mock through our house when we are present, we thought it would be best to leave the food smells in one place. We now burn garbage and leftovers and got rid of our compost heap. The sounds coming from the hollows of black are getting worse. A couple of weeks ago the sounds started out as clicking sounds then moved to growls now it’s like death howls. We don’t go out when we hear the sounds and keep everything locked up until 11pm when the sounds stop.

Journal Entry 92

I lost Minnie. Not like I had a funeral for her but I lost her! We were literally racing the clock to get back into the house. As the alarm was sounding throughout the house I was able to jump through the door but when I expected for Minnie to land on me, she didn’t. THere was no sound, no feeling of her grabbing for me, no nothing. Just darkness. I’m so alone and so scared. The AM station is giving an underground route to the station through morse code but I’m afraid to leave. I don’t think I could make it to the nearest doorway to the underground tunnel in 5 hours on foot. I will try to fix the 4-wheeler tomorrow.

Journal Entry 136

I made it to the closest entry point to the tunnel but unfortunately, I don’t have a radio. I’ll navigate the best I can with what I was able to write down.

Journal Entry 139

The tunnel is dark. They are in the tunnel, in the darkness, with me. I don’t know what to do? My only thought is that whatever runs in the blackness also controls the radio station and must have for some time. I have been able to hide in small crooks and sit still without making a sound. I will try to get out of the tunnel and to the nearest home ASAP. I’m out of food and running low on batteries for the flashlight. They don’t like the light.

To the finder of this journal. Coordinates to the radio station are in the back of this notebook. DON’T GO THERE! AVOID THIS AREA! They’re there! The creatures in the dark are hunters and they are probably hunting you right now as you read this. It’s a game for them. I only write this in hopes to save you as I couldn’t save Minnie or myself. Head to the lighthouse at the end of town. Head towards the lake. That’s where I was heading. Good luck in finding the light.